SWU is located in the tornado-prone southeast which gets hit by close to a dozen tornadoes each year. To ensure reliable communication with its students, faculty and staff during times of crisis, the university wanted an immediate, affordable, and easy communication solution.

During 2011 when a number of tornado threats were raised, SWU sent out around five notices successful. More than half of the university’s entire population including students, faculty, and staff have already opted to receive emergency messages. This number continues to grow based on the proven effectiveness of the system.

While developing the system, CallFire created a unique keyword solution. Initially SWU spread the word about the new SMS service to students and staff through emails, a weekly e-news publication and during weekly chapel services. Those who wanted to opt-in were then asked to send a keyword text to a short code which also included an option for unsubscribing at any time. Post this, new subscribers were sent a "congratulations" feedback message which confirmed their subscription.

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